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Even as the summer winds down, Calgary remains the hot place to be. Whether you love exploring the outdoors, enjoying the arts or partying, there’s always something going on in Calgary.

Calgary’s known for a lot of different things, but what you might not know is that it has a deeply vibrant blues scene. The Calgary Blues Music Association is full of diehard blues fanatics and players, and every year they put on one heck of a show!

The Calgary Blues Festival is six days of some of the most incredible and soulful music in the world. Beginning July 30 and ending on August 5, this is your chance to catch a TON of great music for an even better price.

Headlining the festival this year is BB King’s Blues Band; the King is dead, but long live the band! This group honed their chops for decades touring with one of the greatest bluesmen who has ever lived, studying his art while helping to elevate it. They will be performing with vocalist Tito Jackson, one of the few guitarists and vocalists who could hope to wear BB’s crown.

Also playing are the Bill Johnson Trio – Johnson is one of Canada’s most celebrated blues musicians, and all it takes is a few seconds of hearing his buttery and soulful playing to understand why. Highly recommended.

Looking for more homegrown talent? Then look no further than Dawn Tyler Watson, an artist who has won MANY awards in Canada (seriously – look her up!) but recently returned home from Memphis, Tennessee, where she beat out over 260 acts to take first place in the 2017 International Blues Challenge!

There are so many acts we’re excited to see: Popa Chubby, The Duffy Bishop Band, Rooster Davis and so much more!